Oscar Isaac cast as villain in X-Men: Apocalypse

Oscar Isaac, star of Inside Llewyn Davis and Drive, has signed up to play Apocalypse in the forthcoming blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse.

According to Deadline, Isaac, who has just completed work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will take the role of the film's villain, with production beginning early next year.

Apocalypse was first seen in the post-credit sequence for X-Men: Days of Future Past, where he was played by Brendan Pedder, you can watch the scene at the bottom of the page.

The character is the world's first mutant, born in Egypt at around 3,000 BC and is one of the series' most beloved villains. He is widely considered to be the most powerful mutant of all time and willl be the toughest foe the X-Men have ever faced. In the comic books he is depicted as a huge, brawny character, so Isaac may well have to bulk up somewhat in the coming months.

X-Men: Apocalypse will see Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Evan Peters and Nicholas Hoult return for the sequel. Bryan Singer will return as director, working from a script by Simon Kinberg, with a story from Singer, Kinberg, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris.